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The pair had gone up the mountain Saturday for a day of ski touring and had planned to camp overnight.

"They had a safety plan in place, which was to check in at the end, and they'd actually checked in at one point on Saturday night as well," Knapton said.

When the pair didn't check in with family as arranged Sunday afternoon, Whistler RCMP launched a search-and-rescue effort, which was suspended at 11 p.m. The search resumed at 6:30 a.m. Monday and concluded around 11 a.m. when searchers found the campers' tent pitched just above an area known as the "Wind Lip." A boulder measuring six to eight feet in width and height had tumbled down a rock face onto the tent, killing the pair.

"We're talking about a very substantial size piece of rock," Knapton said.

The tent had been pitched on the leeward side of a rock face, apparently to protect them from the elements, Knapton said.

"That would make sense because it was windy and wet that night."

A statement from Whistler Blackcomb said the area where the pair pitched their tent was not closed. It is along the traverse across the top of Blackcomb Glacier, which was open on the weekend to allow access to Garibaldi Provincial Park for backcountry skiers.

Knapton said there was no immediate sign of snow avalanche risk in the area where the two pitched their tent.

Knapton said the accident demonstrates that the mountains can still pose danger, even when all safety precautions are followed.

"We always give the standard advice for backcountry skiing and mountain activities: make sure that you're prepared, you've got a safety plan, you've got the appropriate safety equipment with you ... but the fact is none of that really applies here because they did those things as far as I know," Knapton said.